


sun sinks down (no curfew)

by afire



Series: light pink sky [1]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Pre-Relationship, but u can tell that they're like one heated moment away from what if we kissed haha jk ... unless?, pen n josie r just chaotic duo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22018084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afire/pseuds/afire
Summary: Josie wants to sleep in, Penelope wants to get up. It's a war of attrition out here.(or: they're best friends, and that's all there is to it)
Relationships: Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman, background Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Series: light pink sky [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616233
Comments: 15
Kudos: 249





	sun sinks down (no curfew)

It’s early still. Josie knows this because the house is quiet. Any time after nine and Lizzie would be bustling around, going about her morning routine. As it is, there’s just sweet, blessed silence.

And someone incessantly whispering her name.

“Jojo, hey. Josie. Josie. Josette!”

Josie swings an arm out, hears an annoyed hiss just as she feels her fingers connect with something.

“Ow! Did you just hit me?”

“Maybe,” she mumbles, pulling her blankets further up around her ears. “Stop talking to me.”

The voice disappears, and Josie’s just about to fall back asleep when something collides with the side of her head.

The impact is soft, but she’s up immediately, eyes wide, gaze bouncing around the room in search of any potential danger. When all she sees is her best friend, green eyes bright with mirth, the adrenaline fades.

“Get out of my house,” she says, before turning to lie back down.

Penelope’s laugh rings through the otherwise quiet room.

“I will not! Who else will make you breakfast?”

Josie doesn’t even react to that, which is a testament in and of itself. Penelope’s waffles are the best.

“Make me breakfast when I’m awake.”

“You’re awake now.”

“Not for long.”

There’s a shuffling, and the bed dips with shifting weight, then Penelope laughs again.

“Something tells me you’re wrong about that.”

Josie’s fighting between her desire to go back to sleep, and her need to verbally win this argument, when she hears the very distinct sound of a door being flung open, rhythmic footsteps echoing past her room.

She groans, tries to sink further into her mattress.

“Time to get up,” Penelope sings, bobbing up and down to the beat of her own words, as evident by how Josie’s started to bounce, as if she’s on a trampoline.

“I don’t want to.”

The pillow lands on top of her head again, and this time Josie just lets it sit there. Maybe it’ll drown out all the noise so she can go back to sleep.

“Well, you’ve got two options. Stay here, and then endure one of Lizzie’s lectures on proper sleeping habits for all of breakfast, or–”

Josie doesn’t even wait to hear the second option before she’s upright again, blinking blearily against Penelope’s sunny smile.

“I don’t understand how you’re a morning person.”

Penelope just grins wider, standing and pulling into a stretch before reaching to tug Josie along with her.

“Life is full of little mysteries!”

**&.**

Josie manages to avoid her sister’s wrath, but only just. She has to duck behind Penelope’s back to hide a yawn, then pass the sudden movement off as an attempt to pick something up off the ground, but other than that, the morning goes by smoothly.

"I'll be out for lunch," Lizzie says, after the plates have been cleared, and Penelope is pressing buttons on the dishwasher in hopes that one of them will make it start.

Josie makes a sound that would usually only ever come from a twelve-year old boy.

"Ooh, got a hot date?"

Lizzie rolls her eyes.

"Yes, actually. With my girlfriend, who I've been dating for two years."

"And Hope's been borderline insufferable for all of it."

Penelope has wandered back over to them. Behind her, the dishwasher is running, but none of the lights are on. Josie chooses not to ask questions, having decided long ago that it's best for all of them if she doesn't know.

Lizzie ignores the comment. Instead, she picks her phone up off the counter, laughs at something she reads on its screen, then bids them both goodbye with a wriggle of her fingers before disappearing down the hall.

Josie watches as she goes, then turns back to Penelope.

"What are we going to do today?"

"Oh, so no hot date for you?"

"I don't see them lining up for you either."

Penelope puts a hand over her heart, feigning hurt.

"Ouch, Saltzman. Low blow."

"Yeah, that's what you get."

Josie stretches out a foot to push her chair back into the table. "No, but seriously," she says. "What are we doing today?"

Penelope hums as she thinks, a vacant melody that she probably won't remember in about three seconds.

"Let's bake cookies."

**&.**

Josie thinks it's important for everyone to know that she's not necessarily bad at baking. Sure, she'll misread the recipe sometimes because she's going too quickly, but nine times out of ten, she'll get it right.

All of that pales in comparison to Penelope though, who could probably win some baking show if she wanted to.

It's a little bit unfair, honestly.

"Teaspoons, Jojo. It says teaspoons, not tablespoons."

Josie puts the offending utensil down, frowning as she reads over the recipe again, slower this time. Penelope goes over to the cutlery drawer and rustles through it. She emerges triumphant, teaspoon in hand, and also traveling at mach speeds through the air as she waves it around.

"Were you honestly about to put half a tablespoon of baking soda into our cookies?"

"That's what it said!" Josie crosses her arms, refusing to meet Penelope's eyes. "I mean, that's what I thought it said. I always read these things too quickly."

"And I always tell you to slow down," Penelope says, equal parts fond and exasperated. "Come on, grab the baking soda for me. It's on the high shelf."

Josie does as she's told, going up on her tiptoes to root around in the cupboard above the fridge. She's got no idea why they keep the baking soda there, it really should just be with the rest of the miscellaneous bottles in the rack above the stove.

"Here you go."

"Thank you!" Penelope takes the bottle without looking up, measuring out the proper half a teaspoon. "Can you line the trays with baking paper?"

At this point, Josie's happy to do anything that doesn't require actually following the recipe correctly.

Penelope toddles over a while later, bringing the bowl full of dough along with her.

"Have you washed your hands?" she asks, looking pointedly at the way Josie's playing with an empty cardboard roll.

She'd used the last of the baking paper, and there's something about hollow tubes that makes everyone want to just bonk them around for no reason.

Josie sighs, putting the roll down and meandering toward the sink.

Penelope starts shaping the dough into balls, lining them up on the baking paper. "You're such a health hazard," she says.

"Shut up." Josie dries her hands on the towel that hangs above the sink, turns to amble her way back to where Penelope is. "Stop being annoying."

Penelope hip-checks her into the cabinets. Not prepared for the sudden movement, Josie overbalances and stumbles sideways, catching herself on the edge of the counter.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, what was that? Can't hear you over the sound of me being annoying."

Josie kicks out, but Penelope's already on the other side of the room, laughing gleefully as she hops from foot to foot.

"Ugh, I hate you."

"I have it on good authority that you don't."

"Yeah? Whoever told you that was sorely misinformed."

Penelope holds one finger up, indicating that Josie should wait, before wiping her hands on the towel she'd draped over her shoulder, retrieving her phone from where it's sitting on top of the microwave.

There's about fifteen seconds of silence while Penelope scrolls through her phone, then Josie hears her own voice float through the room, high and melodic.

_"Pen? Pen, are you there? Pen, I love you so much. Did you know that? Also, I'm really sleepy right now. But it's very important! You have to know! You're my best friend and I love you so much. Did you know? I hope you know! You should know. Um, okay. Goodni-"_

The voicemail cuts off halfway through the word, a result of Josie's drunken fumbling, but there's enough incriminating evidence there for at least a dozen years of teasing.

"Oh, my god. You saved that?"

"I also have back-ups, just in case you decide to destroy my phone to get rid of this one."

Josie sighs, turning back around to continue with the cookies. "I still can't believe that I called you," she says. "Actually, I can't believe you didn't pick up."

"It was two in the morning." Penelope pockets her phone, retraces her steps across the kitchen. "And you didn't tell me that you were going to a party. You know I would've waited up for you."

That much is true. Penelope always waits up, just to make sure that Josie's gotten home safe. It's very sweet of her, really. Not that Josie's ever going to tell her that.

"Yeah, I don't know why I forgot."

Penelope hums her acknowledgment of Josie's words, but doesn't otherwise comment, and for a while, they just form cookies in a comfortable silence.

Once both trays are full, Penelope heads toward the oven, cracking the door open and checking to see if it's actually been preheating.

Josie flutters behind her, peering curiously over her shoulder.

"All good?"

Penelope nods. "All good," she says, standing back up and pointing toward where they'd left the cookies. "Can you grab the trays?"

Instead of walking back to the other side of the counter, Josie just leans backwards as far as she can. Her fingers just graze the edge of the first tray, and she manages to grab it, handing it over to Penelope, who slides it onto the top rack. The second tray is further away, and Josie has to take one step back to reach it, grumbling under her breath as she goes.

Penelope slides the second tray onto the bottom rack, and Josie, too far from the oven to reach it with her hands, kicks unseeingly out at the door to close it.

There's a loud, audible crack that echoes through the room, followed by a howl of pain. Josie spins around, eyes wide in panic, to find Penelope on the ground, clutching her left wrist.

"Pen!"

"You fucking slammed the door onto my hand!"

Josie doesn't do well with emergencies, and she's well aware of that, but awareness doesn't make the problem go away.

"Sorry, sorry! Um-"

Penelope looks up, tears streaming from her eyes. "What are you doing?" she hisses. "Drive me to the hospital!"

"Oh! Yes! Sorry! Okay, okay. Let's go."

Josie manages to get Penelope into the front seat of the car, but forgets to grab her keys on the way out, and has to run back into the house. Lizzie's just coming back into the kitchen as Josie bursts in. She glances at the still-open oven, then over to where Josie is upending the bowl of change in search of her car keys.

"What happened?"

"Um! I think I broke Penelope's wrist? I don't know! It was an accident! I'm driving her to the hospital now!"

Lizzie doesn't even blink. "Okay," she says. "I'll look after your cookies while you're gone."

Josie picks her keys out from the mess on the counter. "Okay! Thanks!" she calls over her shoulder, sprinting back out the door and into the car.

She breaks about seven different laws on her way to the hospital, not all of them traffic-related, but doesn't get pulled over.

Sometimes, though not very often, Josie really is grateful for God's little mercies.

**&.**

Whilst waiting for Penelope to get discharged from the ER, Josie sits in one of the many uncomfortable chairs and texts her dad to let him know what's happened.

He's on a business trip somewhere, guest lecturing at some college Josie can't remember the name of.

Before she gets a reply, Penelope returns, looking less like she's in unimaginable pain, and more just suitably annoyed at the fact that she has to wear a cast.

Josie shoots to her feet, crossing the waiting room to hover anxiously in front of her best friend.

"Pen! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, please don't be mad at me. I wasn't looking, and I didn't see your hand, and-"

"Hey." Penelope cuts her off with an amused smile. "Chill out, it's fine. Sorry for yelling earlier. It just hurt a lot, and you weren't doing anything."

"I'm not-"

"Good with emergencies, I know." Penelope puts the fingers of her uninjured hand on Josie's elbow, gently guiding her toward the reception. "Come on, help me with my paperwork."

"I'm really sorry-"

"Stop apologising, Jojo. It's fine." Penelope glances up, sees the horrified guilt that's still lingering in Josie's expression, and huffs out a breathless laugh. "Really, it's fine. I'm not mad at you. No more feeling bad, okay?"

Josie's pretty sure she's going to feel bad for the rest of her life, but she does nod, swallowing the rest of her apologies.

"Okay," she says. And then, "I'll fill in all the forms for you."

Penelope lets out a quiet whoop, spinning around to walk backwards for a moment, grinning brightly at Josie.

"Thanks, Jojo. You're the best."

Josie would beg to differ, but she snaps her mouth shut on another automatic apology. And when the lady at the reception presents them with the thickest stack of forms Josie's ever seen, she just picks up the pen.

"When's your birthday again?" she asks jokingly, filling in the boxes even as the question leaves her mouth.

"April first," Penelope says, without missing a beat. "Only a fool would be friends with you."

**&.**

When they get home, Lizzie is still in the kitchen, perched on the counter and texting someone as the cookies cool next to her.

"Oh, you're back," she says, when she looks up and sees them. "You okay, Penelope?"

"Yeah, it was just a fracture." Penelope lifts her injured arm, waving it through the air. "Sucks that I have to wear this though."

Lizzie frowns sympathetically, then brightens as if she's had an idea. She hops off the counter, turning to grab something out of the mug next to the bowl of change, which has since been tidied up.

"Here, I'll make it more bearable for you."

Josie can't tell what her sister is holding until she's standing in front of them, and then she sees that what Lizzie's got in her hand is a bright pink Sharpie.

Penelope laughs when she sees it, but happily holds out her arm for Lizzie to doodle all over.

For a moment, the only sound in the room is the rough scratch of marker over the material of Penelope's cast, and then Lizzie steps back, grinning proudly at her work.

"There, isn't that much better?"

Josie leans closer, head tilting to the side as she tries to read what her sister has written.

Lizzie's elegant calligraphy has remained elegant, even though she'd essentially been writing on someone's cloth-covered arm.

Josie really wishes it hadn't though, after she reads the words.

_Sorry my sister's a clumsy idiot. Get well soon! xoxo Lizzie_

There's a heart on top of the 'i', instead of a dot.

Penelope laughs, and laughs, and Josie lunges for the marker, which Lizzie gives up without a fuss.

"Right, well." She dusts her hands off, picks her phone up, and heads for the door. "Now that you're back, I have to go on my date."

"Have fun!" Penelope calls after her. "Tell Hope to answer my texts!"

"You know she won't do that!"

"Tell her she's the most annoying person I know!"

"Okay!"

The front door opens, then closes, and Penelope turns back to Josie with a grin.

"What about you? Want to write on my cast?"

"Of course I want to fucking write on your cast," Josie mutters, holding a hand out.

Penelope laughs, but dutifully puts her arm in Josie's open hand.

Josie picks a spot far away from Lizzie's and starts scribbling, grumbling darkly under her breath the whole time. She steps back once she's done, returning Penelope's arm to her.

"All finished?" Penelope asks, peering down at her cast. "What did you write?"

"Why don't you read it and find out?"

 _love you so much,_ _please get better soon_ ♡ _jojo_

"Oh, you were really nice."

"Yeah?" Josie tosses the marker back onto the counter, watching as it rolls into the mug with a gentle clink. "What did you think I was going to write?"

Penelope shrugs. "I don't know," she says. "You just do things, and then I have to suffer the consequences."

Josie would refute that, but in light of recent events, she really can't. Penelope predicts the incoming onslaught of apologies and moves to interrupt it.

She's always been good at knowing what needs to be said.

"Anyway, now that you've doodled all over my cast, let's go eat those cookies."

**&.**

Later, after Lizzie's texted to let them know that she'll be staying at Hope's for the night, Josie turns her bedside lamp off and asks, "So like, are you ever going to go home?"

"Don't think so." Penelope twists around, trying to find a position where she isn't lying on her injured arm. She gets there eventually, and settles into it, blinking up at Josie from her cocoon of blankets. "It's summer, I live here now."

"Okay, just checking."

"Why? Do you want me to leave?"

Josie blows out a stream of air, laughing as Penelope wrinkles her nose against it. "No," she says. "I like you here.'

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Penelope smiles, happiness teasing at the edges of her eyes.

"Good. I like being here."

Josie hums a happy melody, one that's vaguely familiar, tickling the periphery of her memory.

"You should stay then."

"How long?"

It takes a moment for Josie to process the question, and once she does, she's forgotten the context of it. "How long?" she asks.

"How long should I stay?"

Josie tries to do some quick math in her head, but she's never been good at it, and in the haziness of quickly approaching sleep, she's even worse. So all she says is, "Hm, I don't know. Forever?"

Penelope laughs, quiet and warm.

"Okay," she says. "Forever it is."

**Author's Note:**

> There's really nothing else to say, except for the fact that I really love the idea of Pen and Josie being best friends, before they fall in love. Also I have no idea how broken bones work, and didn't bother looking it up
> 
> Title is from 'It's Nice To Have A Friend' by Taylor Swift, which is about two girls, because I say so
> 
> You can find me on Twitter @scorpiowaltz and CuriousCat @superace if you want to say hello!


End file.
